KISS icon Gene Simmons recently spoke with UK-based This Is Money about, you guessed it, money. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Q: What did your parents teach you about money?

Simmons: "My father left me and my mother when I was six. My mother was Hungarian and at age 14 was transported to a concentration camp in Germany. She provided for us by the sweat of her brow and taught me to have a good work ethic. We moved to America when I was eight and she worked in a factory making coats. It was not unionised so they paid her whatever they wanted – half a cent for every button sewn on a winter coat."

Q: What was the first paid work you ever did?

Simmons: "Working for a butcher after school when aged 12. They would chop off the chickens’ heads on a block and the fat would build up. It was my job to wash off the blood and guts. I got paid $9.25 a week which was a lot of money in those days."

Q: The best money decision you have made?

Simmons: "Staying in the US. I could not make the kind of money I get anywhere else in the world. America is where the action is."

Q: What is your number one financial priority?

Simmons: "Me. It sounds selfish and arrogant, but I have to put myself first because if I cannot support myself, then I cannot help anyone else."

Read the complete interview here.

Guesting on the Lipps Service radio show with his son Nick, Simmons discussed the band's upcoming End Of The Road tour and the possibility of the KISS brand carrying on without any original members as part of the line-up.

With regards to the latter, Simmons said "Of course. We've had 10 different lineups, AC/DC has had 22 or so, and there are bands that tour now that sell out things with different lead singers and different guitar players. At the end of the day, it is about the material and about the culture because there are better musicians - jazz musicians - that will never be able to make the money that people who are less talented but have charisma. You can go to school to learn guitar or bass, you can't learn, 'You're exciting. You have charisma.' There's no school for that. Walk this way, do it that way. You just have it or you don't."

The initial End Of The Road tour announcement was made at Halloween and featured a first set of dates, some of which sold out instantly.  The band then announced the second leg of the tour in North America starting this summer, produced by Live Nation, as well as new international markets being announced simultaneously. Tour itinerary detailed below. KISS will be offering VIP experiences and special KISS Army fan pre-sales.

KISS Meet & Greet Experiences are available through KISSOnline. Head here for more information. Tickets to the general public are on sale now at LiveNation.com.

Known for their trademark larger-than-life blistering performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have said this tour is devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans.

"All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who've filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years. This will be the ultimate celebration for those who've seen us and a last chance for those who haven't. KISS Army, we're saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we'll go out the same way we came in... Unapologetic and Unstoppable," said KISS.

Tour dates:

January
31 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - Rogers Arena

February
1 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden Moda Center
2 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
4 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
7 - San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
8 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
9 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
12 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
13 - Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena
15 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
19 - Corpus Christi, TX - American Bank Center
20 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
22 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
23 - Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum
26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake
27 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center

March
1 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum
2 - Chicago, IL - United Center
4 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
6 - Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford Premier Center
7 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Center
9 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
10 - Moline, IL - Mark of the Quad Cities
12 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
13 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
16 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
17 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
19 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
20 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
22 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
26 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
27 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
29 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
30 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena

April
2 - Quebec City, QC - Videotron Centre
3 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre
6 - Raleigh, NC - PNC Arena
7 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
9 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
11 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
12 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Aren
13 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC

August
6 - Sunrise, FL - BB&T Center
8 - Charleston, NC - North Charleston Coliseum
10 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
11 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
13 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
14 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
16 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
17 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
20 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
21 - Hershey, PA - HersheyPark Stadium
23 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
24 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
27 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
29 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
31 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center

September
1 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
3 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
5 - Little Rock, AR - Verizon Arena
7 - Bossier City, LA - CenturyLink Center
8 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
9 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
11 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
12 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
14 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
16 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena